This invention relates to a cigar holder, and more particularly to cigar container equipped with a means for cutting a cigar tip.
In recent years, cigar use has increased dramatically in comparison with even 10 years before. Both men and women and people of different ages engage in this past time. Cigar aficionados can be found almost anywhere in the world.
Some of the best cigars are conventionally sold in wooden boxes, with each cigar individually wrapped in cellophane to retain moisture and freshness of the cigar. Very high quality cigars are sold individually encased in a cigar-shaped container, where they are protected from the environment until ready for use by the consumer.
Cigar smokers usually test the freshness of the cigar by rolling it between the fingers to make sure that the cigar is pliable and therefore in top condition for smoking. If the cigar is of the quality desired by the consumer, he/she cuts off one tip of the cigar to make the cut end of the cigar more penetrable to smoke inhaled by the user.
Various devices have been devised for cutting the tip of the cigar. These devices may be in the shape of a knife, scissors, etc. The goal is to prevent fraying of the cut end of the cigar, which would make the cigar legg convenient for holding in the smoker""s mouth.
Some of the known devices incorporate the cigar cutter directly into an individual cigar container. Most of the prior cigar cutter/container devices have been designed for use with non-portable containers.
One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 61,234 issued on Jan. 15, 1867 to Myers et al. There, two portions of a cigar tube are held by a spring in a telescopic relationship. When the two portions are held in a spaced apart relationship to each other, a cigar end is extended through an orifice, where it is cut by a knife incorporated in the device.
Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 486,004 issued on Nov. 8, 1892 to Ullin where semicircular portions of a cigar case are hinged together along one side. A plurality of knives or cutters is provided inside the cigar case. When the portions of the case are closed, the knives sever the burnt end of the cigar leaving the remainder of the cigar intact.
Still another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,025,484 issued on May 7, 1912 to Schwieger, where a cigar cutter is built into a case. The cutting knife in that patent is a slotted lever positioned near the tongue engaged in the slot. The lever has a catch that engages the lid of the case. The lever slides pivotally to cut an end of the cigar.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,598,111 issued on Aug. 31, 1926 to Bauda discloses a cigar holder with a cutter formed as a knife gauge. The knife is pivoted to one end of the cigar holder section, with the other end having a handle that forms a spring clip.
Several patents were issued for using a cigar cutter built into a holder for cutting off a used portion of the cigar and retaining the unsmoked portion of the cigar in the case for future use. Such devices are shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,664,091 issued on Dec. 29, 1953 to Thorstenson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,604 issued on Mar. 13, 1990 to Beloff. U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,604 discloses a cigar holder having a pin on an inside of a cap thereof for punching a hole in a cigar tip. German Patent No. 503,638 issued on Mar. 27, 1929 to Schneider discloses a cigar cutterbuilt into a cigar case.
While this list is not exhaustive, it illustrates the developments in the field of cigar holders or cases that are combined with a cigar cutter that eliminates the need for carrying a special clipper or knife in one""s pocket to cut the end of a cigar.
While these devices work in a satisfactory manner under certain conditions, there exists a need for a portable cigar holder or case with a built-in cigar cutter that is easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a portable cigar holder with a pair of built-in cigar cutters.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cigar holder with a pair of cigar cutting members that are built into a cap of a cigar holder.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cigar holder with a plug remover for extracting a plug from a draw end of a cigar so as to improve smoke penetration through the cigar.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a plug removing device which can be inserted into the cap of existing cigar holders.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention shall become apparent from the following general and preferred description of the invention.
Accordingly, a cigar holder with a cutter is provided comprising a hollow cigar-shaped body having a closed bottom and an open top, a hollow cap threadably engageable with the top of the body, the cap having a pair of substantially opposing slots therethrough, and a pair of cigar tip cutting members, each cigar tip cutting member having a cutting portion having a cutting edge thereon. Each of the cigar cutting members is slidably positioned in one of the slots such that the cutting edges are positioned substantially opposite one another in the hollow cap. A handle portion is preferably hinged to the cutting portion of each of the cigar tip cutting members, with each handle portion being positioned outside of the cap. The handle portion of each of the cigar tip cutting members is preferably provided with a gripping tip for facilitating manual movement of the cigar tip cutting member in relation to the cap. The cap preferably has a pair of recesses formed in an outer wall thereof, each of the recess sized and positioned such that the handle portion of one of the cutting members may be selectively fitted substantially entirely within the recess. A channel forming member is preferably fixedly positioned in the cap for forming a channel in a draw end of a cigar to thereby facilitate flow of smoke through the cigar. The channel forming member preferably comprises a hollow cylindrical member having a sharpened tip.
In one embodiment, the channel forming device can be inserted into a conventional cigar holder. The channel forming device comprises a base member having a support side and a channel forming side, and a channel forming member fixedly positioned on and projecting substantially perpendicularly from the channel forming side of the base member. The base member is sized to permit insertion of the base member into the cigar holder. The support side of the base member is configured such that when the support side is abutted against the closed end of the cigar holder, the base member maintains the channel forming member in substantially parallel alignment with a longitudinal axis of the cigar holder. The channel forming member is preferably substantially centrally disposed on the base member. The channel forming member preferably has a sharpened end to facilitate formation of the channel in the draw end of the cigar. The channel forming member preferably has an opening extending longitudinally therethrough, the opening facilitating formation of the channel and removal of a plug of tobacco from the tip of the cigar. Outer edges of the base member are preferably sized to abut against the interior wall of the cigar holder. The base member preferably has a substantially flattened profile. The base member preferably comprises an outer annular member having a plurality of spoke members centrally disposed therein. The base member is preferably composed of a semi-rigid flexible material to facilitate insertion and placement of the channel forming device in the cigar holder.